Thread by @FPL_Dave

❓IS YOUR TEAM FLEXIBLE❓

One of the first questions I ask myself when looking at a new draft or a RMT thread.
It’s a critical part of building a team but isn’t often considered by FPL managers.

So here’s a quick thread with Q’s you can ask when analysing your own team.

#FPL

Can I transfer in X Premium Player❓

If getting Kane in means having to sacrifice another premium player, or doing 3 or more transfers, then your team is NOT flexible.

Having all low valued strikers can become a problem as it makes it hard to move cash up front for upgrades.

Example:

Wilson + Siggy = 16m
King + Siggy = 14.5m

KANE + 4.5m = 15.5m

With no strikers above 7m, you’d need to downgrade 2 players for -4, or lose a premium.

Cheap strikers save cash, but you lose the ability to easily bring in another Premium. Make sure you’ve got a plan!

Are you playing with 1 striker❓

Having Vardy up front + 2 bench fodder strikers is another restrictive decision. Not always a bad decision, but your team does lose flexibility.

If another striker finds great form, you’ll have to either lose Vardy 😶 or upgrade a 4.5m Striker.

Upgrading bench fodder is expensive! Not only that but you’ll ALWAYS have to use 2 FTs to do it. This restricts your transfers as a whole, and puts you at a disadvantage right from the start.

Obviously 4-5-1 / 5-4-1 can be effective, but it’s something you need to be aware of!

Do you have too many premiums❓

This is a straightforward Q and most managers understand the effect of having too many high valued players in your team.

There are studies on the optimal premium numbers, and it’s either 2 or 3. Any more and your team is no longer flexible.

If you decide to get rid of an out of form player and are looking to upgrade to a better player, you’ll almost always have to sacrifice one of the premiums you have.

There’s no point overloading on +10m players if you’re most likely going to take them out again later on anyway.

Are you going 5atb❓

This year’s template has came with an unsurprising injection of funds into our defences.

That being said we still need to be aware of how much we’re actually spending back there, and the flexibility we lose when we have a lot of funds tied up in one area.

With 5 premiums you could be spending around 30-34m in DEF. Add a premium keeper into the mix and you’re up to nearly 40% of your entire budget.

This gives you very little wiggle room if a few 9m+ players on our watchlist become in-form (KDB, Vardy, Aguero, Kane, Mane etc)

CONCLUSION:

It’s always good to ask yourself how easy it would be to bring in X player and have a plan of action in case a premium decides to go on a crazy run of form.

Something to check during your next tinker! ❤️

Cheers, lads!

#FPL #FPLCommmunity